Ready for Base Builder 2019

We’re ready to launch into our 15th annual Base Builder Program next week!

Fourteen years ago we started with a single 6pm class of 12 riders, that brought their own trainers to class every week, twice a week for 3 months. We trained with cadence, heart rate, and a lot of determination to improve our cycling fitness. Fast forward to 2019 and we’re into our fourth season in our Wahoo KICKR studio with sessions throughout the day accommodating 36 in-house’ athletes with their power-based training progressions. On top of that we added our strength training progression to compliment the cycling training and have seen truly outrageous improvements in strength, endurance and power on the bike over these last 3 seasons. You can read all about what we did in our 2018 Base Builder season in a previous series of posts HERE.

2019

Finally this year (2019), we’re super excited to continue to evolve and expand with our Remote Base Builder Program option that allows cyclists that can’t train with us in-house to follow along remotely and build their base following our proven program and with the support and accountability of a group doing the same thing, even if only remotely.

We’ll be posting up the basic concepts and direction of our 2019 Base Builder Program, block by block, on our blog here again. You can follow along and pick up little details that might help you tweak your own Base Build this winter or even consider jumping in and join our Remote Base Builder Program or choose from one of our Base Builder Training Plans that you can utilize on your own when ever you’re ready to start building your base.

So let’s get to it and look at the training concepts for Sessions:6 Base Builder, Season 15…

On the Bike

Our 2019 Factory & Remote Base Builder Training Program is a 24 week training program (actually 25 weeks with an extra week of recovery during the holidays at the end of the year). We cover October through March on your training calendar, following a block periodization model of six training blocks, separated by recovery weeks, that address each of the 6 aerobic energy systems:

Aerobic Endurance (+ skill)

Aerobic Threshold (+ aerobic strength)

Anaerobic Threshold

Vo2 Max

Anaerobic Power

Peak Power

The intention here is to allow us to focus on each energy system we utilize while pedaling (and racing) a bicycle, in a progressive manner, in ascending intensity demands as we build fitness. Put simply… we begin easy, and gradually work harder (i.e.. more power output) with each block of training. We’ve found this format to be both highly effective in building fitness, as well as very motivating and achievable in terms of progress made.

Off the Bike

Off the bike, we hit the gym and build cycling specific strength that compliments and enhances the gains made on the bike.

Cycling Specific strength to us means training for both improved power output AND resistance to fatigue (and injury). As cyclist, of course we want more power; but often the fatigue resistance and ‘injury proofing’ that comes from strength training is the largest benefit. Over the last 6 seasons we’ve identified what works, in terms of strength training, and how to best implement the training into a cyclists training program. Following similar concepts of on-bike training, with strength training we need to first build a ‘low intensity’ base of strength, before maximizing strength, and following that with faster more powerful movements for you guessed it… more power! Here’s the progression in the gym:

Adapt

Build

Strength

Stabilize

Build

Power

So with the general concepts in mind, we’ll dig deeper into Block 1 of our 2019 Base Builder Program in our next post…

Written by Cody Waite, professional endurance athlete, endurance sport coach and founder of Sessions:6 Sport Performance. Looking for help with your endurance sport training? Check out S:6’s Training Plans, Team Programs, and Personal Coaching options created to fit your needs and budget.